When to Remove Tree Wrap or Tree Guards After Winter

With a protective wrap swaddled around trunks in winter, our trees have the perfect companion to make it through the tough season.

When you wrap trees before winter with burlap or tree guard, you help reduce the chances of browsing deer or fluctuating weather damaging the tree’s fragile bark. But after the worst of the winter season, do your trees still need this protective shield?

Even though wraps and guards are great for trees, they do come with an expiration date. Keep reading to find out when you should remove tree wrap.

When to take off tree wrap

Trees just need protective wrap to safely get through winter. Once spring rolls around, you should say goodbye to the guard. Leaving tree wrap in place well into springtime can actually have a negative effect on trees. Leave the wrap on too long, and you could injure the tree’s trunk or invite pests and disease.

Generally, the rule of thumb is to keep tree wrap on from November to April. But more specifically, your tree only needs a trunk guard up until winter’s last frost. Once freezing temperatures phase out in your area, go ahead and remove your tree’s wrap until next fall. Be sure to use fresh wrap each fall season.

And there you have it! Taking off tree wrap early in spring will help prepare your plants for the growing season.

Here are 4 more ways to get your garden ready for spring.